Portugal defeated Turkey 3-1 in the semi-finals of their World Cup qualifier to secure a place in the final. They only need to win one more game to finalise their spot for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
However, they will be facing North Macedonia instead of heavy favourites Italy. The Euro 2020 Champions missed out on World Cup qualification for a second consecutive time, since they were defeated by North Macedonia in the final minutes of their game.
Portugal vs North Macedonia final set
Right winger Otavio had a remarkable game, scoring the opener and assisting Diogo Jota later to double Portugal’s lead.
Burak Yilmaz had a chance to level things up for Turkey, with a late penalty on their hands. But, the Lille striker hit the bar after a disappointing penalty. Matheus Nunes got the winner for Portugal after a well-executed counter attack, slotting it into an empty net after hearing the keeper.
1-0 North Macedonia.
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) March 24, 2022
A 92ND MINUTE GOAL! ITALY ARE NOT GOING TO THE WORLD CUP! INSANE MOMENT IN FOOTBALL! pic.twitter.com/pgbkSttPzC
Aleksandar Trajkovski was the hero of the night for North Macedonia, as he scored the winner for his country in stoppage time to pull off a sensational upset. Italy had a number of big chances throughout their game, but were not at all clinical in front of goal. And the missed chances ended up being very costly for them in the end.
Sweden have sealed their spot in the final of their qualification path, and will be facing Poland. They advanced against Czech Republic, beating them 1-0 after extra time. On the other hand, the winner of the Scotland vs Ukraine game, which has been postponed, will be Wales’ opponent for securing the final spot in the World Cup.
